How to Train Your Dragon

I really loved this blog post from Femina, A Spirited Rider, comparing little girls and their emotions to a little girl riding a powerful and beautiful horse. She tells a story to her girls about the horse God gave them (their emotions), and how they will ride it their whole life.

"When our emotions act up, it is like the horse trying to jump the fence and run down into a yucky place full of spiders to get lost in the dark. A good rider knows what to do when the horse tries to bolt – you pull on the reigns! "

Later she says:
"The goal is not to cripple the horse, but equip the rider. A well controlled passionate personality is a powerful thing. That is what dangerous women are made of."

However, little boys aren't usually as besotted with the idea of horses as little girls are. I was trying to think of a good comparison and the recent movie came to mind - How To Train Your Dragon.

Dragons are testy things, and sometimes scary. Fighting them or running from them isn't a very winning prospect. But if you can train your dragon - wow! Suddenly a little boy with a strong dragon is a hero. In fact, if you have a really puny dragon, or one that you can't control in the air - you're doomed. The biggest hero is the one with the best trained dragon. I think that's the story I'll tell Silas.

Silas isn't terribly emotional as little boys go, but every toddler is faced with emotions stronger than they are. Sometimes his get the better of him. I hope I can teach him how to be a good dragon rider. :-)

P.S. I just finished reading Loving the Little Years, by Rachel Jankovic - who wrote the Spirited Rider article. It's hands down the best parenting book I've read in the last three years. Check it out!